A Ditto Adventure
by Dwer
Summary: A trainer of wild pokemon. Nuff said.
1. A Chance Meeting

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Pokemon and all original Pokemon belong to Nintendo. All other created pokémon belong to their respective creators.  
  
Author notes: ^...^ = a thought '...' = something from the pokédex [....] = pokémon translations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flashbacks go in between these ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter One - A Chance Meeting  
  
The rain had just started to lessen. It had been coming down in buckets for most of the day and Matt was now thoroughly soaked, even under the thick tree cover of the Viridian Forest. The little pink blob the rested on his shoulder didn't seem to mind the rain and also didn't seem to notice how grumpy its trainer was. "You are the most USELESS pokémon there is. The least you could do is transform into something to keep this rain off." "Ditto! Ditto!" replied the little pink blob. The ditto started to glow softly preparing to transform. With a loud THUD a huge metal bucket landed squarely on Matt's head. "That's not quite what I meant." Matt said angrily as he removed the bucket from his now sore head. The bucket glowed softly and was replaced by a sad looking little Ditto. "Aww, it's ok. You were just trying to help. I meant something like an umbrella or a poncho." Ditto looked up at its master with a confused look. "I guess you don't know what those are do you." "Ditto Ditto" "Remind me to take you shopping when we get to Pewter City." "Ditto!" replied Matt's only pokémon. Matt trudged on with a now smiling Ditto asleep on his head. As he walked his mind began to wander back a few days to when he first saw his Ditto.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He was walking to his house in Viridian City from his aunt's house in Pallet town when he saw a trainer, not much older than his own 18 years, storm out of the local gym. As he watched, the trainer threw something down on the ground. "I never want to see you again!" the trainer yelled back as he tromped away. Matt waited until the trainer was out of sight before he walked over to examine what the trainer had thrown down. There on the ground laid a battered Ditto that looked like it was on the verge of tears. He carefully scooped up the little bundle of gel and hurried to the Poké-Center down the road. After only a few minutes, Nurse Joy came out. "Your Ditto will be fine, it just needs some rest." "But it's not mine. I just picked it up after its trainer threw it down and left." "In that case I will have to keep it for 24 hours to see if its trainer comes back for it." Joy replied after some thought. "After that it's yours." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Matt had been so lost in thought that he didn't notice that the rain had stopped. Nor did he notice the myriad of pokémon emerging from their dry homes to frolic in the mid-afternoon sunlight. Most of these happened to be small Caterpie, Weedle and the occasional Butterfree. There was one very big exception that Matt didn't see until he was dusting himself off on the ground after he had run into it. After picking himself up and making sure his Ditto was ok, he gazed up at the huge bulk blocking his passage through the forest. "What is that thing?!" Right on cue, Matt's pokédex chimed in. 'Snorlax. A sleeping type pokémon. It can only be awakened from its deep sleep by a Pokéflute.' It went on to spout off statistics about this specific Snorlax. "Hey Ditto, You do know what a Pokéflute is, right?" Ditto responded by glowing softly and transforming into the odd looking instrument. "It's a good thing that I took those lessons a few years back." Matt commented as he picked up his new Pokéflute. "Ditto!" it replied. Matt's first few attempts at a good wakeup song resulted in a few scared and cringing Caterpie that were munching nearby. Eventually, Matt got a very simple, very shaky tune to come out of the instrument. At first, it seemed to have no effect, but then a soft rumbling sound emerged from the Snorlax's mouth. The sound grew as it heaved its immense bulk around to get into a standing position so it could attack whoever had played that Pokéflute so badly. "SNOORRLAAAXX!" it roared at Matt and his Ditto/Pokéflute. "Oh shoot!" Matt said softly as he turned and bolted back down the path. Behind him he could hear the Snorlax softly saying its name over and over. "Snor - lax, Snor - lax, Snor - lax." From the back pocket of his bright yellow field pack, Matt's pokédex chimed in. 'Metronome. Allows pokémon to use attacks that they would not normally learn. Use extreme caution around any pokémon that knows this attack.' As soon as it had chirped out those words, Matt was on his back staring up at a very disgruntled Snorlax. As Matt slowly crawled backwards, the Snorlax started another Metronome attack. He gazed in utter fear as the Snorlax's arms glowed a soft blue. The attack was almost ready. ^What would it be this time?^ Matt wondered. Suddenly there was a flash of light. Matt curled into a fetal position in anticipation of the attack. When nothing happened, Matt slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The Snorlax had just disappeared. Thankful for still being alive, Matt gave his Ditto an affectionate squeeze. Matt struggled to get up (his pack was somewhat heavier than he remembered) and then set off again. "I think we can go a few more hours before we run out of light," Matt commented to his Ditto. It, however, was already fast asleep on his shoulder and didn't hear him.  
  
At about 8:00, just when it was getting hard to see, Matt noticed some lights in the distance. He hurried towards them and found a small cabin nestled in a little grove of trees. It didn't seem to be in very good condition but it looked dry enough. Matt walked up to the door wondering why anyone would want to live so far away from everything. Before he had a chance to knock, the door flew open and a girl not much older than himself rushed him inside. "What do you think you are doing!?! What you are doing is quite foolish, not to mention rather dangerous!" she scolded him. "Who, what?" "Every person and every pokémon in this forest knows that right now is the peak of Golbat breeding season." "Oh, I didn't know..." Matt replied. "You will not make it far as a trainer," she said matter-of-factly. "Well can I at least..." "Yes, you may stay here for the night, but you must leave first thing in the morning." "Fine with me."  
  
That night as Matt lay on the hard wood floor with his Ditto cuddled up next to him, Matt remembered how anxious he had been to start training. His parents wouldn't let him start training until he had finished school. By then, he was already eight years behind his friends who had started right away and being a trainer didn't seem very likely. That was until he got his Ditto...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He had gone back to the Viridian Poké-Center the next afternoon to check on the Ditto he had found only to find a very frustrated Nurse Joy. "I CAN'T FIND IT!" Joy screamed. "Can't find what?" "Oh hi." Joy said as she quickly regained her composure. "I didn't hear you come in." "That's ok. Now what can't you find?" Joy looked shamefully down at her feet. "That Ditto that you brought in transformed into a pokéball and now I can't find it." "Did you try calling it?" "Um, no." "Here, let me try." Matt went over to the tray pokéballs and softly said, "Come here little Ditto. Remember me? Come on out." Just then, one of the pokéballs glowed softly and leaped out of the tray onto Matt's shoulder. The pokéball-turned-little-pink-blob nuzzled up to Matt's neck and smiled contently. "I guess it really likes you." Nurse Joy commented. "Does that mean I get to keep it?" "Since its old trainer left it and didn't come back looking for it, you are now its trainer." "Ditto!" the little pink blob squeaked with joy. "Now I'll need to see your pokédex to get him transferred to your name." "Um, I don't have a pokédex." "Now that's a problem. You need a pokédex before you can start training that Ditto. You'll have to go to Pallet Town a pick one up from Professor Oak. I'll call him and tell him that you are coming." After packing some essentials, Matt made the short trip from Viridian to Pallet to get his pokédex from Professor Oak. Professor Oak met Matt at the entrance to Pallet Town with a pokédex in his hand. "You must be Matt. Nurse Joy told me all about you and your Ditto. It is very fortunate to come into the hands of a caring person like yourself. Here is your pokédex. It acts as your ID and also a storehouse of all pokémon knowledge." "Thanks Professor. Is there anything else I need to know before I go." "Um, yes. If you run across any pokémon that aren't in the pokédex just point this little IR sensor at it and it will record an image of the pokémon and also your current location. If you are able to catch it please send it to me at once so I may study the new species further." With that, Matt headed out on his own pokémon adventure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	2. Go West

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Pokemon and all original Pokemon belong to Nintendo. All other created pokémon belong to their respective creators.  
  
Author notes: ^...^ = a thought '...' = something from the pokédex [....] = pokémon translations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flashbacks go in between these ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Two - Go West.  
  
Sometime around midnight, Matt was awakened when his field pack, which he had been using for a pillow, started to shake. Half asleep, Matt unzipped his pack only to find a Minimized Snorlax curled up next to his extra change of clothes. The problem was that this mouse-sized Snorlax was quickly growing into a cat-sized one. Matt was wide awake now. He quickly grabbed the rapidly growing Snorlax and tossed it out the front door. About half an hour later the cabin collapsed as the huge beast rolled over in its sleep. Luckily, Matt and his Ditto along with the owner of the cabin escaped with nothing more than minor scratches.  
  
As the sun rose the next morning, Matt looked at the rubble and the huge pokémon sleeping on top of it. "I'm really sorry about that." Matt said. "I had no idea that it had crawled into my pack." "That is fine, but I will expect you to..." "I know, I know, pay you back for the damages," interrupted Matt. "Not at all. That dwelling was old and I was in need of a new living space. All I ask is for you to accompany me to my sister's house." "Sure thing. That's much better than having to pay for a house. I don't think I caught your name last night." "I am called Andromeda, but you may call me Ande." "Ok Ande. My name is..." ^I know who you are Matthew Bradley Connors^ a voice echoed in his head. "What was that?" Matt asked. "I know not what you are asking." said Ande "Oh, nothing. Let's get going. Which way is your sister's house?" "Follow me," Ande said as she disappeared into the forest.  
  
They had been traveling due west a few hours when Ande stopped suddenly. "That is the Indigo Plateau." Ande pointed off in the distance. "Um, yeah," said Matt who couldn't see anything. "Do you not see it?" asked Ande. "Not really..." "That is too bad for you. It is said that those who cannot see the Indigo Plateau from here will never reach its summit to challenge the Elite Four." "Are you saying that I won't become a Pokémon Master?" "I said no such thing" Ande replied coldly. They sat down and ate an early lunch of local vegetation and some jerky Ande had grabbed before leaving. Just as they were finishing their meal the ground began to shake. Matt stood up and looked around nervously. Calmly, Ande stood up and continued walking westward again. Matt glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Ande disappear into the forest again. "Hey! Wait up for me!" Matt yelled as he ran to catch up (not an easy feat when the ground is shaking.) A few minutes after they left a huge Snorlax came bounding out of the woods. "Snooorrrlaaaxx..." it cried as it collapsed on the ground and started sleeping. It wasn't used to anything like the amount of running it had just done.  
  
That night Ande, Matt and his Ditto sat around a small fire that Ande had somehow started. Matt was showing his Ditto all the different pokémon in the pokédex and having it practice transforming on command. The progress was very slow. After Matt got it to stop transforming into the pokédex, it only managed to get through the Bulbasaur evolutions before it got too tired. "Are you sure you don't want to try for a Charmander?" Matt asked. "Ditto..." it replied wearily. "That's ok. You did good today." Ditto smiled and nuzzled up next to his leg. The night passed quietly. Matt tried to make small talk but Ande just sat there in her own little world. Matt dozed off at about 8:00 partially from shear boredom and partially from not having very much sleep the night before. Ande just sat there all night. One or two Golbats came to investigate the potential dinner but they just kept running into some invisible barrier. Ditto was the only one who saw it approach. Actually, Ditto felt the rumblings before it saw what was causing them. The giant figure responsible for the rumblings gazed at the little group. "Snorlax...." it sighed deeply. Then it noticed the little Ditto looking up at it in fear. "Snor, snor lax snorlax," [Hi there, you don't have to be afraid.] said the Snorlax reassuringly. "Ditto ditto ditto ditto?" [Why do you keep following us?] asked Ditto. "Snor snor lax lax. Snorlax lax snor." [Something tells me I need to be with him. I'm not supposed to be in a pokéball though.] Ditto looked over at Matt, back at Snorlax and back to Matt. "Ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto." [I'm sure he won't mind if you follow us.] The Snorlax smiled, nodded , and began searching for a place to spend the rest of the night. Ditto turned back towards its trainer and slept peacefully for the rest of the night.  
  
Matt awoke the next morning and glanced over at Ande, who was still just sitting with her eyes half closed. ^She's quite pretty in the early morning sunlight,^ Matt thought. ^If only the huge shadow wasn't blocking most of the sky...^ Matt slowly turned his eyes skyward. He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. ^Do not scream. Do not fight. Just move out from under it immediately. I can not ..hold... it.... much.... longer.^ Ande's voice echoed in his head Matt grabbed his half-asleep Ditto and scrambled out from underneath the Snorlax hovering above them. The air around him shimmered for a brief moment before the Snorlax fell, right on top of a still seated Ande. Matt had turned his head just before the huge monster hit, so he didn't see the pokéball roll across the ground away from Ande. "Kadabra!" yelled the creature as it materialized. Matt whipped around to see the Kadabra envelop the Snorlax in a light blue glow. It pointed it's spoon at the huge pokémon and tried to raise it but couldn't. Kadabra grabbed the spoon with both hands and tried again. It managed to raise the Snorlax a couple of inches off of the ground but that was all. "Quick! Ditto, transform and help Kadabra out!" Matt instructed his pokémon. Ditto scrunched its little eyes, glowed softly and transformed into a Kadabra. When the Ditto/Kadabra pointed its spoon at the Snorlax, the huge, now fiercely glowing, pokémon rose about a foot up into the air, and then it woke up. "Snooorrrr!" it cried as it struggled to break free. It finally succeeded just after the Kadabras had moved it off of Ande. When the Snorlax landed, everyone who was standing immediately fell over. Matt recovered quickly and rushed over to a very bruised and battered Ande. 


	3. The Hospital

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Pokemon and all original Pokemon belong to Nintendo. All other created pokémon belong to their respective creators.  
  
Author notes: ^...^ = a thought '...' = something from the pokédex [....] = pokémon translations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flashbacks go in between these ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Three - The Hospital  
  
The next few hours were a blur. They managed to get Ande back to Viridian City through a combination of telekinesis by Ande's Kadabra, so she wouldn't be injured further, and a very repentave Snorlax using Metronome to Fly them to the Viridian emergency room. After Ande's condition had stabilized, she was moved into a room of her own. Matt spent an almost sleepless night pondering the childlike expression on Ande's sleeping face. Once he finally fell asleep, he didn't have to wonder anymore.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The voices started when I was three. Most of them were human, some were not. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The dream was not his own. It had started as soon as his eyes closed. The images were burned into his brain.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The institution is dark and lonely. Mom and Dad said they would come back for me. I doubt they will. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Matt could not tell whose past this was. He could take a pretty good guess though.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A voice singles itself out in my head. It's not human but it sounds just as lonely as I am. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Matt opened his eyes. The dream was still there, floating in front of him. There was the beginnings of a smile on Ande's face.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I call back to the voice, 'Here I am. I will be your friend.' Then the institution is gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Matt is tempted to try and wake Ande but decides not to.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was an Abra! Oh, how cute it is. 'Will you be my pokémon?' I ask it. It hands me its pokéball. I have a friend now, one who will not leave me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The sun peeked through a crack in the pale green curtains of the Viridian City Hospital. As the light fell across Ande's face, her eyes fluttered open. She gazed at the ceiling for a moment before noticing the figure curled up in a chair next to her bed. It was Matt. He looked so peaceful lying there. She reached out with her good arm to gently touch Matt's face. Just then the door inched open and Ditto peeked its head inside. "Ditto ditto!" it cried. Matt jerked awake at the sound of his pokémon's voice. Ande quickly pulled her hand back before Matt realized what she had been trying to do. A nurse opened up the door the rest of the way and turned on the light. "I'm glad to see that you're finally awake. We need to do a quick examination of your injuries before we decide if we should let you leave or not," said the nurse. "What should I do?" asked Matt. "Well, you could sit here and wait for her or, if you want, you could follow my Chansey." "Chansey!" it said as it peeked around the corner. "As I was saying, you could follow Chansey and find a way to MOVE THAT STUPID SNORLAX! We also have a nice gift shop." Matt took the hint. As he followed Chansey down the hallway, Ande was put in a wheel chair and pushed into a room with a bunch of x-ray equipment. The technicians took some x-rays of her two legs that were in casts and her arm that had been broken. Just as the technicians finished, all of the lights in the room went off. Everything got quiet. An eerie voice, or rather several eerie voices speaking in unison, called out, "We are the evil of the world, United for a common cause. We are The Dark League, and we challenge you, Andromeda. Find us, if you dare." The lights came back on and everyone continued on as if nothing had happened. Everyone except for Ande who was shaking with fear as the challenge echoed in her head.  
  
Out in the courtyard of the hospital stood a very frustrated Matt. The Snorlax had managed to get itself wedged between the double doors that led out into the courtyard. It was crying out in pain and Matt was doing his best to calm it down while trying to think of a way to get it out of the doorway. Ande's Kadabra was standing behind Matt holding its pokéball. Suddenly, it let out a loud cry. "Kaadaabraaa!!" It's eyes opened wide and the star on its forehead started to glow. Just as it's cry ended, a bright flash filled the courtyard. Ande's Kadabra was gone. Seconds later, the technicians ran out to tell a befuddled Matt that Ande had disappeared. "She was just sitting there. Then this bright light filled the room and she was gone," said one technician. "I'm going to find her," stated Matt, "I still owe her something for knocking over her house." "Ditto ditto!" [Don't forget me!] exclaimed Matt's Ditto. "Snor-lax." [I'll help too.] said the Snorlax. "You can't help," Matt said, "your stuck in those doors." With that, Snorlax emptied all of the air out of its lungs and wriggled free with a huge grin on its face. "Snorlax," it said and winked at Matt. Moments later, Matt and his Ditto were soaring through the clouds on a flying Snorlax.  
  
Meanwhile, somewhere else entirely.  
  
A man sits alone. He appears deep in meditation. The room he is in is pitch black save the small glow caused by the four candles that surround the man. Three of the candles are burning low. Their flames seem to be growing tired of fighting the all-encompassing darkness. The fourth candle was tall with its strong flame flickering from an unfelt draft. The man's eyes shot open. His pupils glowed a bright crimson. "It has begun." he says softly. "She will not last long. He will not succeed. We will triumph." His evil laughter fills the room as the glow from his eyes reveals millions of candles. Some had burnt themselves out. Most had donned an ebony flame. 


	4. Curiouser and Curiouser

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Pokemon and all original Pokemon belong to Nintendo. All other created pokémon belong to their respective creators.  
  
Author notes: ^...^ = a thought '...' = something from the pokédex [....] = pokémon translations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flashbacks go in between these ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Four - Curiouser and Curiouser  
  
When Ande awoke, she was staring up into the pale blue eyes of a wrinkled old man. ^You have come back to us, very good.^ The voice echoed in her head. She knew that it belonged to the man leaning over her. This fact only confused her already clouded mind. "Where." ^No, don't speak. Think.^ interrupted the man. ^Where am I?^ thought Ande cautiously. ^You would not understand if I told you, just as you will not immediately understand many of the things I have to tell you. You will know when you are ready to know.^ Ande sat up in the cot she had been lying in and looked around. They seemed to be under a dome that was a light blue at the base and faded to black at the top. She rubbed her still sleepy eyes and looked up. She noticed the faint twinkling of what seemed like stars. They were stars, and this wasn't a dome. It was the sky. ^I see that you are beginning to understand. Get up and look around some more.^  
  
Matt did an aerial search for Ande for most of that day. Right before sunset, the Snorlax landed in the ancient forest just west of the Viridian forest. There it proceeded to eat all of the underbrush. Matt leaned up against a huge oak tree and fell asleep. The Snorlax also fell asleep after it finished it's snack. Matt's Ditto was the only one awake when they came. At first , there was only a slight green glow that formed a small circle several feet in front of Ditto. Slowly, three small figures formed inside of the glow. Once the figures fully materialized, they turned to face the awestruck Ditto. "Celebi celebi," [You must come with us,] they said in unison. "Ditto ditto," [I want to stay with my friend Matt,] replied Ditto. "Celebi celebi celebi celebi." [You will leave him and go to The One.] The three strange pokémon circled around the helpless pink blob and lifted it into the air. Ditto tried transforming but couldn't seem to get it to work. Soon, the dark forest faded away and the inside of a cabin appeared. "Ahh, Ditto. My old friend," called a familiar voice from behind Ditto. Ditto spun around to see someone that it almost knew.  
  
High above the Earth on the old man's floating platform Ande was vigorously training her mental powers. The old man was to be her instructor. He was very good at what he did. His mental powers were ten times more powerful then Ande's were. He referred to himself as 'One who will serve'. Ande just called him Master.  
  
Matt woke up with a start. It was still the middle of the night. Everything seemed to be fine but Matt knew something was very wrong. It was then that Matt noticed the absence of one little pink blob. He jumped up and hurriedly searched their entire camp. He called out into the dark woods for his missing pokémon but heard only the night sounds of the woods answer back. Matt failed to notice a tall figure standing in the shadows. ^Could this finally be him?^ the figure thought to it's self. ^Is he the reason I have waited so long?^ Matt settled down to wait for morning. He eventually fell into a fitful sleep. He would find his Ditto when there was more light. He never got the chance. When Matt woke up, he wasn't in the forest. He was in a dimly lit cave. The Snorlax lay on the floor fast asleep as usual. "Good, your awake. I can finally begin." called a voice from the shadows. 


	5. Destiny

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Pokemon and all original Pokemon belong to Nintendo. All other created pokémon belong to their respective creators.  
  
Author notes: ^...^ = a thought '...' = something from the pokédex [....] = pokémon translations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flashbacks go in between these ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Five - Destiny  
  
"Who are you? What do you want? Where is my Ditto?" Matt called out in anger. "So many questions." muttered the voice. "I will answer none of them," it stated firmly. "Huh?" replied a very confused Matt. "I am one of the Pure. My purpose is to provide information to you, but only if it is necessary." "Do you know where Ande is?" asked Matt. "Yes, but that is not important right now." "Then what are you going to tell me?!?" cried Matt. "I will tell you nothing. You are not yet ready for what I must tell you. You must first learn to listen. I will return when you are ready." "Hey wait!" Matt yelled. Matt's voice echoed off the stone walls. He got up off of the cold floor and explored the shadows surrounding the edge of the cave. There were no apparent exits. Matt sulked back to where the Snorlax lay. He sat down and started stroking its short black fur. "I wonder what your name is," Matt said softly. "I'll call you Lob." Lob the Snorlax smiled in its sleep. Matt felt a tingle in the back of his head but it only lasted for a second. "You are now ready," said the voice. A man stepped out of the shadows. He had long silver hair that flowed down the front of his dark purple robe. As he stepped forward his hair shimmered in the dim light. Matt sat attentively as one of the Pure informed Matt about the history behind his special gift. He was told about a race called the Ancients. Hundreds of years ago, one of the Ancients foretold a trainer of wild pokémon. Many had been sent to wait for this trainer. He was one of them. It was his job to tell this trainer all about his gift and to provide any other information he could to help. "What does all of this have to do with me?" asked Matt. "Don't you see? You are that trainer!" Matt sat there for a moment in stunned silence. "How, how do you figure that." he finally stammered. "Come with me and I will show you." The Ancient took Matt deep into the shadows and through an unseen door. The room they were now in was small and very quiet. "Now call him," said the man. "Call who?" asked Matt. "Your Snorlax, who else." "He is NOT my Snorlax. He just follows me around and causes trouble." "He follows you around because he subconsciously knows who and what you are. He causes trouble because he is still a very wild pokémon. You named him so he is yours." "What do you mean I 'named him'?" "You looked at him, thought of a fitting name and he accepted it." Matt was still confused about the whole deal of training wild pokémon. He decided to go ahead and try to call the sleeping Snorlax. The sooner he proved just how crazy this guy was, the sooner he could leave. "Wakeup Lob, come here," Matt called to the Snorlax. The sleeping pokémon hopped up from the ground and disappeared in a small flash of light. A few seconds later, Lob the Snorlax reappeared in the same room as Matt and the Ancient. "Snorlax!" it cried happily. "See, he's yours," said the man. "Ok, he's mine," said Matt, "Now what?" "Take this," said the man. He handed Matt a small clear sphere. As soon as Matt took the sphere, it turned a dark crimson. "When you press on the sides of the sphere, a list will appear that contains all of the pokémon that are yours." Matt pressed on the sides of the sphere. A small glowing rectangle appeared about a foot in front of his face. Printed in red at the top of the rectangle was the word 'Lob'. "Go ahead," said the man, "touch his name." Matt touched Lob's name and a small picture of Lob appeared. Matt peaked around the picture at the real Lob. He smiled at Matt. When Matt looked back at the picture, it too was smiling. Next to the picture in small blue letters were Lob's stats. He knew Metronome, Surf, Body Slam and Rest. He is also at level 50. "I was being followed by a level 50 pokémon!?" Matt cried Lob just started laughing. 


	6. Revelations

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Pokemon and all original Pokemon belong to Nintendo. All other created pokémon belong to their respective creators.  
  
Author notes: ^...^ = a thought '...' = something from the pokédex [....] = pokémon translations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flashbacks go in between these ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Six - Revelations  
  
Ande knew she hadn't been training with the Master for that long. By the end of the first day her mental powers had fleshed themselves out quite nicely. She had just completed a round of mental sparing with her Kadabra. She was relaxing by dangling her bare feet over the side of her master's platform. The sun was setting over some far distant land. It was beautiful. She noticed something come over the horizon just as the last rays of light disappeared. In the twilight sky it looked like a dark cloud...only not quite. ^It's not a cloud,^ Master thought from across the platform, ^not even close. Come quickly, there is much to do before they get here.^ Ande hopped up and rushed over to him. ^Who are they?^ ^They are but a flock of Murkrow...with a deadly purpose. They are servants of the Dark League.^ The Dark League... Ande felt the blood draining from her face. ^I see you've heard of them.^ Ande nodded. ^We are the last of our kind. They have corrupted or killed the rest.^ ^What do you mean "we"?^ ^We are the last of the Pure, the last uncorrupted Ancients, those who must guide the One.^ Ande stood there, overwhelmed. The old man reached deep into his robe and pulled out an ancient book. ^My time here is almost finished. This book contains everything you will need to know about your future duties.^ Ande reached over and took the book. Etched in the tan leather cover were the words "Protector of One". Ande looked up and back at the book. ^Is this who I am to be?^ The old man didn't answer her. He closed his eyes for a moment. ^You must leave now. My time here is at an end.^ Ande looked up. ^What will happen to you?^ ^Leave...NOW!^ The force of his voice in her head caused her to stagger backwards. She nodded resolutely. She firmly attached her Kadabra's pokeball to a belt around her waist, took a deep breath and launched herself off the side of the platform.  
  
The Ancient had taken Matt and Lob into a new section of his compound. This looked more like the inside of mansion. Matt was seated at a large table full of food. Lob started drooling at all of the food until he was led to a room with mountains of food, all for him. Both started feeding their faces. The Ancient sat himself at the other end of the table from Matt and went into a trance-like state. Just as Matt finished his first plate of food, the old man stood up and called out. "It has begun." Matt looked up from plate. "What?!?" "It has begun. You must get going. You have much to do and very little time to do it in." He got up and ushered Matt down a series of tunnels and out into the cool night air. Lob lumbered slowly behind. He was very tired after eating all of the food given to him. The old man rushed ahead and motioned for Matt to follow. They pressed onward, almost running. Lob followed as long as he could stand. He eventually collapsed and fell into a deep sleep. At the edge of the western edge of the forest they stopped. The sun was coming up, filtering through the branches of the trees. "Rest here for now, but do not stay long. I must leave you now. They are tracking me at this very moment. They do not know of you...yet." "Where will you go?" "I will head to Lunan. I may find protection from them that far away. You must head to the north and west. To them. To their heart. To see their end." "Who are they?" "You will meet another who will teach you more. We do not have time at the moment." The old man ran back off into the woods. 


End file.
